Marcela Meirelles

Bagé – RS , 1973

A trans woman and self-taught artist, Marcela Meirelles learned to draw when she was four years old, influenced by her aunt, who was an artist, and her mother, who was a craftswoman. However, she abandoned her dream of being in the arts when she went to college, where she got a degree in Social Communication from the Federal University of Santa Maria.

“With painting and drawing far from my life for 25 years, I instead worked in the field of cultural production, furniture design, and decoration. But then, at 41, art became my salvation during a difficult time”, says the artist. Since then, she has participated in individual exhibitions in Bagé, Porto Alegre, and Rio de Janeiro, as well as in group shows, such as the online show TransAções (2020), organized by the Goethe Institut Salvador. She has also had her works displayed in magazines in Germany and the US, and some of her works have traveled the world, finding themselves currently in Sweden and Spain.

“I have learned to be proud of my history and to give voice to our diversity. To be a trans woman and an artist today is a synonym of resistance. Because of this, I portray the feminine universe with all of its strength and plenitude”, says Marcela Meirelles.

Artworks:

“a cartomante, a moça e a bola de cristal” [“the fortune teller, the young woman, and the crystal ball”]. Acrylic paint on canvas. Dimensions: 82cm x 140 cm.

“a moça e os brincos de princesa” [“The young woman and the princess earrings”]. Acrylic paint on canvas. Dimensions: 82cm x 135 cm.

“a moça, a maçã e a gata preta de olhos amarelos” [“the young woman, the apple, and the yellow-eyed black cat”]. Acrylic paint on canvas. Dimensions: 82cm x 125 cm.